Apparatus for producing undamped electrical oscillations.



v E. S. BECK.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING UNDAMPED ELECTRICAL OSGILLATIONS.

APPLICATION rn-nn .umze, 1910.

999,543. Patnted Aug. 1, 1911.

V V V V QWY V U1 WITNESSES INVIENTDYFK numsmnu. in. mm mm...- D

a 5 JM- ther been UNITED s'rA'rEs PATENT OFFICE.

EDGAR S. BECK, OF TREICHLERS, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS NOR PRODUCING UNDAMPED ELECTRICAL OSCILLATIONS.

Specificationof Letters Patent. Patented Ailg. 1, 1911,

Application filed January 28, 1910. Serial No. 540,593.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, EDGAR S. BECK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Treichle'rs, in the county of Northampton and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus 'for Producing Undamped Electrical Oscillations, of which the following is a specification.

This inventionrlates to an apparatus for changing continuous into alternating cur rent or electrical oscillations, the apparatus being of that type inwhich the arc terminals or ele trodes are submerged in an electrolyte. and connected with a supply circuit of continuous current and with an alternating circuit including self-induction and capacity;

The invention has for its principal object to produce undam'ped electrical oscillations of greater efliciency and more uniformly by the use of electrodes of special design and located in a. certain relation to the surface of the liquid in which the arcing extremities are submerged. I v

With current interrupters of this type, as heretofore employed, the terminals where the electric arc occurs are submerged to a considerable depth in the liquid and the heat of the arc causes bubblingof the liquid with the result that the strength and frequency of the electric oscillations are continually varying to such an extent as to render transmission of intelligence by such elece.

trical oscillations inefficient; As the result,

this a loosely coupled osclllatlng transformer of experiment, I have found that by placikd the are points of the electrodes close to the surface of the liquid, which is preferably, although. not necessarily, distilled Water,. the arcwill maintain a well "or depression in the water immediately at the electrodes, the are passing across the well from the ex tremity of one electrode to the other, and as theresult, the detrimental efiect of the bubbling of the water is overcome. It has furfound that by tapering the extremity of-tlie positive electrode to a sharp point, an arc of high current density and steadiness can be obtained, a conical-like arc beingcreated between the pomt and the relatively blunt end of the negative electrode.

With the foregoing objects in view, the invention comprises the varlous novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth With in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, the figure represents a diagrammatic view with the various electrical devices connected in circuit.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a receptacle containing a liquid solution which maybe pure or distilled water, which is indicated at 2. The negative and positive electrodes 6 and 7 extend into the receptacle 1 and have the spark gap formiirgjermirmls submerged onlyslightly below the surface of the water. The negative electrode (3, which may be made of copper, iron, aluminum, zinc or other suitable metal, has its submerged extremity terminated bluntly in a transverse surface and the positive electrode 7, which may he ma e of copper, aluminum, iron, or other suitable metal, has its submerged extremity tapered to a sharp point, the apex of which is disposed in a central line extending at right angles to the blunt surface of the negative electrode. The outer extremities of the electrodes are concuit which includes a source of continuous current 11, a current controlling adjustable resistance 9, and self-induction coils 8, said coils serving to preventthe alternating current from flowing toward the source of continuous current. The electrodes 7 and S are also part of an oscillatory circuit thatincludes a self-induction coil 4 and a condenser 3. Inductively related to the coil 4 5 which has one terminal grounded and the her terminal connected with the radiating antenna when the apparatus is used for transmitting intelligence by electric oscillations.

In operation, the electrodes are brought into engagement to close the circuit for the continuous current, slightly under the surface ofthe liquid in the vessel 1, and upon separation to form an arc gap, an are 12 passes from the positive to the negative electrode ,and accompanying this are isthe formation of a well or depression 10 in the surface of the water immediately at the sparking terminals of the electrode. As a consequence the bubbling and disturbance of the spark, as in other interrupters, is reduced to a minimum with the advantage that electrical oscillations are produced particularity I nected to the opposite sides of a supply cirthe water or liquid, due to the presence of:

more :eflicientlyj; and, without variations in 1 strength "and frequency.

the advantages of the construction andof the method'zof operation will be readily ape parent to those skilled in the art to which the invention; appertains, and while I. have described the principle of operation of the invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to be-the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may bemade when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described I claim as new, is zy l 1. An apparatus for producing electrical oscillations which consists of a vessel containing a body of liquid, an electrode having a blunt end submerged slightly below the surface of the liquid, another electrode having a pointed end slightly submerged bethe invention, what.

low the surfaceof the-liqui d angil arranged I 1 withits 'apex spacedfromland in 'line wi'th Y From the foregomg descr1pt1on, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

the center of the blunt end of the first electrode, a; source'of continuous current co1inected with the electrodes, and an oscillatorycirgmit connected with theelectrodes. 2. An apparatus for producing electric oscillations including a container holding a body of liquid, a negative electrode'having' blunt terminal submerged slightly below the surface of the liquid, a positive electrode having a pointed terminalwslightlysub: merged in the liquid and disp sed t-opposite the terminal of the negative'electrode, a 1 source of continuous current, connected Wlilh the electrodes, and an alternating circuit including the said electrodes ,an di -also inductanceand capacity y L In witness whereof I subscribe-my signature inthe presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: I q BENJAMINF, HALL, EDGAR E. HALL. 

